ABSTRACT
1. In native invertase at pH 4.6, 23 out of a total of 34 tryptophyl residues are "exposed" to oxidation with N-bromosuccinimide, the other residues being apparently shielded from the oxidant within the molecule. 2. Oxidation of 5-6 tryptophyl residues/molecule with N-bromosuccinimide is proportional to the complete inactivation of the enzyme, and appears to be specific for indole chromophore only. The ligand binding and fluorescence measurements indicate that the oxidation of native enzyme, up to 50% inhibition, apparently does not change the conformation and topography of enzymes surface. 3. Invertase is inhibited by diazonium-1-H-tetrazole. Since tyrosine residues can be excluded by nitration studies as catalytically unimportant, it appears that a mocification of a single histidyl residue/molecule with diazonium-1-H-tetrazole is sufficient to abolish the enzymic activity. However, the absence of inhibition with diethyl pyrocarbonate indicates that the inhibition with diazonium-1-H-tetrazole may be mediated through steric hindrance or other indirect effects. 4. The absence of inhibition with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine, trinitro benzenesulfonic acid and 5,5'-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoate) indicates that the carbonyl groups of the carbohydrate moiety, free amino and -SH groups are not essential for activity.
Subject(s)
Saccharomyces cerevisiae/enzymology , Sucrase/analysis , Binding Sites , Bromosuccinimide/pharmacology , Diazonium Compounds/pharmacology , Dithionitrobenzoic Acid/pharmacology , Fructose , Glycoside Hydrolases/antagonists & inhibitors , Nitrobenzenes/pharmacology , Oxidation-Reduction , Protein Binding , Protein Conformation , Spectrometry, Fluorescence , Tetrazoles/pharmacology , Tryptophan/analysisABSTRACT
1. Yeast alcohol dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.1) is inhibited by stoicheiometric concentrations of diethyl pyrocarbonate. The inhibition is due to the acylation of a single histidine residue/monomer (mol.wt. 36000). 2. Alcohol dehydrogenase is also inhibited by stoicheiometric amounts of 5,5'-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoate), owing to the modification of a single cysteine residue/monomer. 3. Native alcohol dehydrogenase binds two molecules of reduced coenzyme/molecule of enzyme (mol.wt. 144000). 4. Modification of a single histidine residue/monomer by treatment with diethyl pyrocarbonate prevents the binding of acetamide in the ternary complex, enzyme-NADH-acetamede, but does not prevent the binding of NADH to the enzyme. 5. Modification of a single cysteine residue/monomer does not prevent the binding of acetamide to the ternary complex. After the modification of two thiol groups/monomer by treatment with 5,5'-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoate), the capacity of enzyme to bind coenzyme in the ternary complex was virtually abolished. 6. From the results presented in this paper we conclude that at least one histidine and one cysteine residue are closely associated in the substrate-binding site of alcohol dehydrogenase.
